French forces find weapons cache in northern Mali

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — French forces say they have found a cache of weapons buried in the desert of northern Mali, which was overrun with jihadi extremists until a French intervention last year.

French military spokesman Remi Libessart said Friday that forces found a dozen mortar shells, about 30 rockets and other munitions. Libessart said the French were tipped off by locals who thought there might be something buried in the desert 20 miles (30 kilometers) northwest of Timbuktu.

French forces intervened in Mali last year to drive out rebel groups, including al-Qaida-linked jihadists, who had taken over the country’s north in the chaos that followed a 2012 coup.

But some jihadists are still operating in the north, and weapons caches are still occasionally uncovered.